Popular Chinese Gods and Goddesses
Sun Wu Kong 孫悟 空 /孙 悟 空 or the Monkey God is one of the most popular deity of the Chinese. He seems to be Chinese version of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman . Sun Wu Kong has all the abilities that most demons have. He is a skillful fighter able to lift his 8 tones Jingu Bang (Golden Clasped Staff) with ease. Sun can also shape shift into 72 different creatures including human. Each of his hair could transform into a clone of the monkey himself and he has more hairs then any human does.Sun Wu Kong symbolizes hope, justice, and the fighting spirit that we all possess.
GUAN-YU , Kuan Ti (關 羽 ), the red-faced, bearded hero of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and symbol of loyalty. He is the God of war and fortune telling. He gives protection to people who suffer injustice and evil spirits, assist divination, execute revenge and bring death. He is the patron god of policemen, war, fortune, law, and gangsters, as he shows forgiveness, and often also serves as Wu Sheng. He is actually an historical figure, a general of Han dynasty, well known for his warrior skill and just in this administration. There were more than 1600 temples dedicated to Kuan Ti.
GUAN-YIN or Kwan Yin, (観 音) Goddess of mercy and compassion. A lady dressed in white seated on a lotus and holding an infant. She grant success, bestow mercy, offer purification, fertility to those who are childless, protect children, and mothers specially at childbirth, heal the sick both of mind and body, and assisting people to get enlightenment. She was murdered by her father, on her journey to the underworld she recited the holy books on her arrival in Hell, her virtual behaviour prevented the ruler of the underworld from carry it out the torturing of the dead souls So she was sent back to the world of the living. Here she attained great spiritual insight and was rewarded with immortality by the Buddha.
JADE-EMPEROR is also known as Heavenly Grandfather (天公 Tiān Gōng) which is used by commoners; the Pure August Jade Emperor, August Personage of Jade (玉皇上帝 Yu Huang Shangdi or 玉皇大帝 Yu Huang Dadi) , whose court is in the highest level of heaven, originally a sky god. The Jade Emperor made men, fashioning them from clay. His heavenly court resembles the earthly court in all ways, having an army, a bureaucracy, a royal family and parasitical courtiers. The Jade Emperor's rule is orderly and without caprice. The seasons come and go as they should, yin is balanced with yang, good is rewarded and evil is punished. As time went on, the Jade Emperor became more and more remote to men, and it became customary to approach him through his doorkeeper, the Transcendental Dignitary. The Jade Emperor sees and hears everything; even the softest whisper is as loud as thunder to the Jade Emperor
Tu Di Gong (土 地 公, tǔ dì gōng), the "God of the earth", a genius loci who protects a local place (especially hills), and whose statue may be found in roadside shrines. He is also the god of wealth, by virtue of his connection with the earth, and therefore, minerals and buried treasure.
A T'u-ti is often a deified historical person who had assisted a specific community during his lifetime. It is believed that if the person is deified and sacrificed to, he will be moved to continue his assistance from the spirit world. If misfortunes occur in a location dedicated to a T'u-ti, the T'u-ti is believed to have lost interest and a new patron is chosen.
Mazu (媽 祖),Mother Ancestor, also spelt Matsu, is the indigenous goddess of the sea who is said to protect fishermen and sailors, and is invoked as the patron saint of all Southern Chinese and East Asian persons. Born as Lin Moniang ( 林默娘 / 林默娘 ) in Fujian around 960 CE, worship of Mazu began around the Ming Dynasty, when many temples dedicated to her were erected all across Mainland China, later spreading to other countries with Southern Chinese inhabitants.Mazu is widely worshipped in strong sea-faring area, as well as migrant communities elsewhere with sizeable populations from these areas. Mazu also has a significant influence on East Asian sea culture, especially in China and Taiwan. She is the patroness of sailors. Shrines can be found in coastal areas of Eastern and South-Eastern China. Today, belief in Mazu is especially popular in the South and South-East
Cai Shen (財 神 "god of wealth"), named Gongming Zhao, who oversees the gaining and distribution of wealth through fortune. He is often the deified manifestation of certain historical personalities. His shape is that of a giant blue whiskered cat.
Shou Xing (寿 星 "god of longevity"), who stands for a healthy and long life. He is portrayed as an old balding man with a walking stick in his right hand and a peach in his left.
Fu Shen (福 神 "god of happiness"), he looks like a traditional Chinese feudal lord with red clothing. He symbolizes happiness and joy.
Yuexia Laoren (月 下 老 人 "Old Man Under the Mo on" The matchmaker who pairs lovers together, worshiped by those seeking their partner.
Zao Shen (灶 君 灶 神), the 'Kitchen God' mentioned in the title of Amy Tan's novel, The Kitchen God's Wife. He reports to heaven on the behavior of the family of the house once a year, at Chinese New Year, and is given sticky rice to render his speech less comprehensible on that occasion. "
MATZU
